Dead Batteries Finally

[dalej]

Well I just finished putting on the Enviro-Cool coolant filter. The one that scrubs everything on the inside of the cooling system. When I finished I wanted to start the bus and get all the air worked out.

When I flipped the chassis main battery switch, the old girl wouldn't do anything but click. I knew this day was coming since I last replaced my chassis batteries December of 1998.

I had told Jan the other day the batteries turned 10 years old, it might be time to change them out sometime soon. I just had a hunch!

[Kevin Erion]

Dale, can you keep us in the loop about the coolant filter. I would like to know if that will keep us from having to change out the coolant every 2 years.
Thanks

[merle&louise]

Hey Dale,

I gotta ask you. What kind of batteries lasted 10 years?

Be sure to replace them with the same brand.

[merle&louise]

Dale, can you keep us in the loop about the coolant filter. I would like to know if that will keep us from having to change out the coolant every 2 years.
Thanks

Kevin,

I don't think the EnviroClean coolant filter is going to prolong the life of your anti-freeze. I would still change it every 2 years.

The Enviro filter is supposed to clean the inside of the radiator.

I ran an Enviro filter for 10,000 miles, and honestly, I see no difference in my operating temps. My series 60 still runs at 185 to 190 like it did before I installed the Enviro filter. Short of looking inside the radiator, I don't know if it did any good or not.

Just my .03 (.01 added for inflation)

[dalej]

I'll let everyone know what the Enviro-cool filter does to our cooling temps and what I find in the filter when I cut it apart after 3000 miles. We should get those miles after our Arizona trip in the next couple of months.

I was having my temps rise upward of 215 climbing hills in warm weather and after hearing what happens to 8v's when you run them to hot, I thought I would try this system and see if there is good results.

I could re-core the radiator but that doesn't help the rest of cooling system. I guess the engine has a lot of tiny areas that improve with this filter.

If I have any trouble what so ever you guys will always be the first to know.

The batteries that I put in the bus back in 12/98 were Napa. I really don't think Napa makes them though. I put a Exide brand in this time. They were $87 each.

[BrianE]

Dale,

You can't go wrong with Interstates.

As to your cooling issues, good luck with the filter however if your radiator hasn't been replaced or rodded since you've had the coach would expect it may need attention. Whether a recore or just a rodding, a good radiator shop should be able to help you decide which is best. In either event you will make short work of removing and reinstalling the radiator yourself.

After we overhauled our 92 I talked to a guy in Oregon that builds custom cores. He promised almost twice the cooling area with the same size core. As it turned out our engine cooled very well after heating up in a hard climb so we took a wait and see attitude. Incidentally, before the overhaul we were seeing 210-220 grade-climbing temps, after the OH we never saw over 200 and more often not over 190.

Whatever you do, BE CAREFUL, overhauls are expensive.

[dalej]

I'm betting that the cooling system has never been touched. We owned it since 98 and it was 12 years old then.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I know from experience that even a well maintained 8V92 radiator will plug over time.

We bought our 87 when it has 21 months of service on it from the purchase date. I followed the coolant change schedule and the filter change requirements as outlined in the service schedule from Prevost, and at about the 10 year mark the radiator needed to be recored. A hill we could pull at 195 degrees eventually would reach 200 degrees and then start to approach 205 degrees. Once the radiator was recored we were back in the 195 degree range on the worst hills regardless of outside air temps.

For anyone contemplating pushing the life of the chassis batteries be aware that when they go, they go without a lot of warning. I got seven years out of our first set on the 87 coach we had. They always held a charge and the bus could sit in the garage for 3 months, and all I had to do was turn the key and it would be running. I never turned off the battery disconnect switches.

When ours quit we were on a trip and one day after parking in a campground I went to start the bus and all I got was the same click Dale got. I charged them and it started, but the next day it was click again.

So my morning was spent finding a battery dealer and swapping out a set. I have used Delco 1150 batteries (original equipment from Prevost at the time) and they did well. I have Interstate now, four years old so I don't know what to expect from them.

[Orren Zook]

Too bad your batteries didn't fail before August - they were worth $45 each for scrap here in Ohio....

[dalej]

Here is a photo of the cooling system filter installed. I added two ball valves to aid in changing of the filters.

The line that it is installed in is the line between the water pump and the air compressor.

PS, I think I have some series 60 paint on my bus now